Yokai have been used to explain natural phenomena, entertain through storytelling, and even serve as moral lessons in Japanese folklore. One in particular, the Noppera-bō, are not malevolent but are thought to be more tricksters, playing jokes on unassuming humans. Or are they a reflection of social and environmental changes in Japan? -------------------- MUSIC Theme Music by Dethlehem (dethlehem.bandcamp.com) -------------------- SOCIAL LINKS Website: www.mysteriouspals.comEmail: mysteriouspalsonline@gmail.comYoutube: @MysteriousPalsFacebook: @mysteriouspalsInstagram: @mysteriouspalsX/Twitter: @mysterious_palsPodcast Feeds: www.mysteriouspals.com -------------------- EPISODE RESOURCES Foster, Michael Dylan. *Pandemonium and Parade: Japanese Monsters and the Culture of Yokai*. University of California Press, 2009. Hearn, Lafcadio. *Kwaidan: Stories and Studies of Strange Things*. 1904. Meyer, Matthew. *The Night Parade of One Hundred Demons: A Field Guide to Japanese Yokai*. 2015. Foster, Michael Dylan, and Shinonome Kijin. *The Book of Yokai: Mysterious Creatures of Japanese Folklore*. University of California Press, 2015. “Nopperabō .” Yokai.Com , Yokai.com , https://yokai.com/nopperabou/ -------------------- IMAGES Episode Thumbnail: smiling nopperabo (https://bn.ac-illust.com/clip-art/24098677/smiling-nopperabo) -------------------- TIMESTAMPS 00:00:00 - Beginning00:00:10 - Introduction00:02:25 - The Legend of the Noppera-bō00:06:00 - Tangent On00:11:08 - Tangent Off00:28:42 - Common Theories00:45:47 - Our Theories00:51:45 - Closing -------------------- ABOUT THE MYSTERIOUS PALS The Mysterious Pals is a mysterious show about history and friendship. #mystery, #history, #unsolved, #unsolvedmysteries, #halloween, #mysteriouspals, #staymysterious, #yokai, #Nopperabo, #japan, japanesefolklore, #folklore